The Blind
by Insidiae
Summary: [We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes.] In one way or another, every Uchiha is blind. Oneshot, genfic. Uchihacentric, Tobito theory.


For blacknoise, who asked for Tobito and got more than she bargained for.

This story - it's the things headaches are made of. But I promised to finish it, and I feel better now that's it done. So, enjoy some Uchiha angst.

* * *

Itachi is being blinded, in the most physical sense.

He knows it. Kakashi knows it. Everyone knows it, but few say anything about it, lest they face the wrath of the technique of which is his ailment's cause. For indeed, it is the Sharingan, that which his clan once took so much pride in, that is slowly destroying his vision.

But then, seeing as his clan no longer exists, there is no more pride to be had.

At this point, it is a force of habit. Itachi is neurotic; his life has been consumed by his paranoia. Even if he would want to, he is at this point unable to stop the constant pulse of chakra continuously flowing to his eyes, burning his retinas from the inside out. It'll only be a few years more, now.

And it makes Itachi mad.

He sees Sasuke. Sees what he has done with his life, and envies, envies because he is normal. It is a well-known fact that Sasuke always wanted to be like his older brother, but the truth that most don't know is that Itachi wanted him to follow in his footsteps as well. It's why he told Sasuke how to gain the Mangekyou – he wanted someone else to suffer through what he was, too. But Sasuke didn't take his bait, didn't kill Naruto, and Itachi remains alone in his blindness. He doesn't even have legacy to leave behind, since what he is most well known for, the killing of the entire Uchiha clan, isn't accurate, since Sasuke and Obito are _still alive._

He sees Tobi. He sees, and he envies, envies because through him and Kakashi, Itachi can see the _true_ potential of his bloodline limit, and only he realizes it. Itachi is stunning, a real prodigy, this is true, and his strength knows no equal. He is power overwhelming compared to Kakashi, and yet, Kakashi is still better them him. Of this he is certain, and it causes him no small amount of fury. When he first meets Tobi, long after his initiation as Deidara's partner, a pair of blood red eyes make contact with their match, a single orb usually hidden, through a peephole of a swirling orange mask. He can't hold the stare for long because the optical illusion created by the swirling lines on the mask makes his vision blur and eyes burn and it is all too much of a reminder that he is losing his sight. He can't stand it; Tobi has everything he wants, but he because he gave everything away. He gave his precious kekkei genkai away to Kakashi, and through him, has achieved everything Itachi ever strived for without getting any of the negative side effects. Tobi has achieved Mangekyou without giving up his humanity or mental stability.

Itachi sends one last glare towards him. This man has insulted him thrice over, and the worse part? _He doesn't even know what he's done._

Sadly, there is something that Itachi doesn't understand. He thinks that he is being constantly mocked by the continued life and success of the other members of his clan, but the truth is that it is nothing compared to what he is doing to them.

* * *

Obito is being blinded, in the most psychological sense.

He knows it. Zetsu knows it. There are a few others who do as well, but nobody says anything about it because they just don't know enough to. For indeed, it is the lack of knowledge, the lack of memory, that is Tobi's blind spot.

He realizes that people aren't just born twenty-eight years old. He also realizes that this may as well be true for him.

At this point, he's become rather well acquainted with his life and lifestyle. He's found his niche as the "peculiar one" in an organization of villains, lowlifes, traitors, and, for the most part, lunatics. Though, in Akatsuki, a sense of normality is relative. As far as Tobi can tell, half the members aren't even human. This is perhaps why he is the odd one – in a group filled with outcasts, misfits, and social rejects, Tobi is the closest thing to an average person there is. He is, however, defined as a person by his odd quirks. He is klutzy, talks in the third person, and acts like a ten-year-old, far too optimistic and chipper and clumsy and _Tobi_ to be part of Akatsuki, but part of it, none-the-less. These are oddities that he makes no attempt at hiding, and can be seen quite clearly and easily by observing him for only a few moments. However, there are other quirks that he has that he doesn't let the world know, that he keeps to himself as much as possible.

Like, say, the fact that he has no idea what he looks like.

Tobi has never looked into a mirror. Never looked at his reflection when his mask wasn't on. It strikes him as a bit weird, but Zetsu was the one who told him not to, so he supposes it's for the best. It doesn't bother him that much, anyway.

It wouldn't bother him at all if it weren't for the fact that when he sees Itachi, he feels as though he is looking at his own face.

It is a sensation that makes him shudder, simply because it makes so little sense to him. He hasn't even seen Itachi that many times, and during the times that he has, Itachi wore a stoic and cold expression, so opposite of Tobi's own. He asks Zetsu about it, but the grass-nin offers only a frustratingly archaic answer, the white side saying that it was not the time and the black side telling him that it would upset the natural order of things, so he should just learn to deal with it. Unsurprisingly, Tobi's antsy nature doesn't allow him to be satisfied with this response, but because he holds Zetsu in such deep respect, Tobi takes his words to heart and instead concentrates on his work to take his mind off of his anxieties.

By the time Tobi is actually welcomed to Akatsuki as an official member, he is told the story of Sasori's death. The reason for this is apparently twofold; Leader thought it to be a good idea for him to learn about his predecessor and how he fell in order for him to avoid sharing the same fate, but also because one of the members of the team that killed him is one of the remaining jinchuuriki, the nine-tails container, a young boy from Konoha by the name of Naruto. Tobi is told by Deidara that he came with his teammate, a young, powerful medic-nin by the name of Sakura, and his teacher…

…Hatake Kakashi.

And it is all he can do to not scream.

Memories swim in his head, incoherent and dizzying, and all he can think is that this team is far too familiar. A vibrant, powerful, blue-eyed blond, a cute medic-nin kunoichi, and _hatakekakashihatakekakashihatakekakashi._

_And,_ some small part of the back of his mind adds. _An Uchiha_.

Yes, indeed, an Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke, the last member of the once-prominent clan other than his elder brother, who is the reason for the clan's demise in the first place. Tobi's told that the boy ran off to Orochimaru a couple years ago, after the snake took too much of an interest in him (he is told that Orochimaru also took an interest in Itachi, but was..._sternly declined_ by the teenager at the time). Tobi frowns, wondering why this situation seems so familiar. He can't grasp for the life of him why the idea that a boy, no, _an Uchiha boy,_ leaving his village to be found by the enemy, and remade and reborn into someone or even something seems recognizable. Perhaps his brother? Perhaps it is Itachi that Tobi is thinking of?

Speaking of whom, Tobi can feel the younger man's glare on him, and shudders. He tries his best to hold his own, because, after all, he _is_ a member of Akatsuki as much as Itachi is, and he _is_ Itachi's elder, but somehow, the look makes him feel so young and inexperienced. The blood red Sharingan bear into his sockets and Tobi is forced to turn away, overcome with a feeling of emptiness and incompletion.

He doesn't deny these feelings, however, because however inexplicable they may be, even they make more sense than the one other sensation it gives him. This is a sense, not of being broken or incomplete, but of being shared. It is like he is living through the life of another (_hatakekakashihatakekakashi),_ sharing breath and blood and chakra and thought.

Tobi prays that this is a trick of Mangekyou, and forces himself to believe that this is the cause completely. He recognizes that the damage that could be done to him should he accept what his mind is showing him would be great, and it is much easier to blame Itachi. Itachi, he thinks, is a dangerous, deadly creature, for he is above human at this point for sure. Itachi is a master of illusions and devoid of humanity, and Tobi thinks it perfectly reasonable to believe that he would mess with the minds of others, including his own teammates, for the simple amusement of it. He clings to this thought like a lifeline, because there are no more scapegoats to turn to if Itachi is not the cause, and focuses his entire being into accepting that it is all an illusion.

And so, Tobi spends his nights biting his lip with a pillow over his head, muffling his screams through the layers of skin, cloth, and the wood of his mask, because Deidara becomes annoyed with him when disturbed from his rest. And each night, just before sleep claims his completely exhausted mind, he can't help but wonder if this was the kind of torture that Itachi subjected his brother to, or if Sasuke had it even worse.

For the avenger's sake, Tobi can only hope that it isn't the latter.

* * *

Sasuke is blind, in the most spiritual sense.

He knows it. Naruto knows it. Orochimaru knows it, and takes advantage of it, nurturing it and encouraging it until it destroys his would-be host completely. Sasuke recognizes that his emotions are shot, but he is too far-gone and his judgment is too clouded at this point for him to even attempt to return to a healthy state.

Sasuke understands that it was his choice that landed him here. His entire being screams with regret and sorrow and loneliness, but the fool of a boy is too blind and naïve to see it, too foolish (just like Itachi always told him he was) to analyze his own emotions, and so he himself has no idea of how he actually _feels_. He believes it is anger, believes it is hatred.

He needs to find something new to believe in.

Sasuke's thoughts are fogged over with denial and refusal, and it is wounding him. Soon, there will be nothing will be nothing left of him except an empty shell and an empty promise to kill the only person whose bond with he can never, ever break, no matter how hard he tries. Sasuke sometimes wonders what he'll do once Itachi is dead. The thought makes him a little sad, but he doesn't even recognize it because Sasuke has forgotten what sadness is, and any stray emotion such as it is quickly smothere under quiet anger and cold stoicism.

Sasuke knows he is getting stronger. He knows he is as strong as Orochimaru, if not stronger, and all he's doing is biding him time. He can't help but feel that his whole life has become rather boring, and if he still felt anything at all, it would probably be nostalgia and regret for his past days. Naruto always did make things interesting.

But, he reminds himself. Naruto has another Uchiha to worry about. He should be more concerned about Itachi trying to capture at every turn.

The stupid boy, Sasuke thinks. Naruto still thinks he can bring him back to Konoha. If Sasuke still had his emotions, he'd feel disdain.

But he doesn't, and he can't.

And if Sasuke still had his emotions, he knows, he would find this the saddest thing of all.

* * *

_"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." _

* * *

That's a wrap, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Please review!

-Insidiae-


End file.
